IMUN 2015 AGENDA ISSUES: SCOPE OF RESEARCH.
The General Assembly:
1. The question of strengthening democracy in LEDCs. By Manuel Abecasis.
The Question of strengthening democracy in LEDCs is an issue that has always
been active throughout modern history. Nations have conflicted over the ideology of
emerging and developing nations. But why developing nations? Most of LEDCs are
going through a transitional period. This period can be of growth or war, famine or
change. But one thing all LEDCs have in common is that they are susceptible for
influence in terms of ideology. These nations are more easily controlled by external and
internal powers. The UN is an institution that deeply believes in the concept of
democracy. Hence, one of its mission is to strengthen global democracy by reaching out
to these developing nations.
LEDCs aren’t only vulnerable to international influence, they are also susceptible to
be controlled by autocratic and totalitarian groups within the nation itself. Especially,
since many LEDCs are post-conflict zones. One of the most important global objectives
imposed by the UN is to prevent the formation of governments that function as a
plutocracy or as a totalitarian state. One of the fundamentals of democracy is to prevent
one small elite of holding and exploiting all of the wealth. This leads to two negative
aspects: Corruption and wealth inequality. Preventing corruption is also important in
order to strengthen a nation’s democracy and democratic ideals. Transparency agencies
can be used as a method to maintain the governmental system of an LEDC clean of
dirty business. Human Rights Watch and Transparency International are two
organizations that tackle the issue of transparency at an international scale.
One of the anchors that holds tightly to the ideology of Democracy are elections.
Elections are a symbol of freedom for peoples and nations that have just come out of a
totalitarian state. However, there is always the fear that elections are being corrupted
and results altered, especially in nations ruled by a fragile systems such as LEDCs.
International committees are used to intervene in these situations by regulating and
making sure that elections are transparent. Hence, to make it possible for a government
in an LEDC to be elected democratically. Also in regards to having a fair election, it is
utmost urgency that elections become more accessible to those living in the countryside.
This can be achieved through regional specific ballots or an increase in transportation
from the countryside to the closest voting ballot. Ultimately, the UN strives to ensure
that one of the fundamentals of democracy is upheld and fulfilled. Everyone over the
legal age of voting should be, and is entitled to a vote.
One of the main concerns for democracy in LEDCs is increasing democratic
participation. One of the ways of doing this is through the right to vote. Another is
through international organizations, which cooperate and offer aid to LEDCs on
infrastructure and technology. Investing in both infrastructure and technology will help
make the government more reliable and efficient. Through the use of technology it is
easier to open the horizons for peoples of LEDC countries in regards to what is going
on outside. It will open the eyes of the people to the strength of democracy and its
impact in the world. However, international bodies and organization also have the
capacity to provide other services. One of which is expert advice, which would be used
to increase the government’s capacity to rule a democratic state and will also help the
government with the process of familiarization whether it be with new technology or
with democracy itself.
2. The promotion of measures against xenophobia. By Gustavo Sarmento.
This question aims at providing solutions and steps to foster the integration of
immigrants in their new chosen countries/cities of residence, study or work, in order to
prevent acts of xenophobia. By xenophobia what is meant is the prejudice or racism
held against foreigners in a new country. Therefore, by promoting measures against
xenophobia, one is also addressing questions of a racial and economic nature.
This problem tends to create economic and social inequality leading to fewer
opportunities and perhaps creating a vicious cycle of poverty. Though some nations
have in place strong anti-immigration laws that limit the amount of
immigrants/foreigners a country takes in, this question is not so much worried about the
quantitative side of the issue, but rather the qualitative; in other words, how can the
world, regardless of how many foreigners settle in one specific location, create and
provide a healthy, dynamic and integrated community to those foreigners in that
particular location? This issue aims at defending the principles of the United Nation’s
Declaration of Human Rights which defends everyone’s right to dignity, adequate
housing, and safety amongst others.
Immigrants, often minorities and economically vulnerable have a tendency,
especially seen in the second half of the 20th century and in the 21st century to become
ostracized and more difficultly integrated in their country of choice. Therefore, this
issue aims to improve the situation above descripted by focusing especially on the
immigrants of a lower-income background and with a more limited academic
background. Delegates should propose path solutions to increase the cultural integration
of such persons so that language and behavior do not become a limiting factor for the
quality of living. But as this issues is two-sided, governments should also actively seek
to promote measures by which racism and discrimination in the form of xenophobia
decrease amongst the native populations.
More concretely, a tendency of immigrants is to create their own communities
abroad, and settle in conglomerates which often leads to a “ghettoization” of their new
homes and area of residence. This creates a distance between the country’s native
population and the immigrants, thus secluding the latter from society, opportunities and
culture. These conglomerates are typically lower in life-quality and in quality of
services. It is also important to address the role of government. Again, not so much
whether immigration should be limited or not, although this can be debated, but more
on how governments can act to protect and integrate immigrants into society. Therefore,
what kind of welfare and to what extent should welfare in the form of say, food stamps,
social security, job placement assistance be the role of government?
Crucial to this issue of defending immigrant’s rights to reduce xenophobia is the
educational and labor opportunities. With this, we aim to discuss the rights of workers
so that immigrants are not abused in the work place, and so they enjoy access to the
same privileges and pay as others might. Furthermore, we aim to discuss the rights of
children of immigrants so that they can enjoy public services of especially health and
education to provide them with a healthy growing-up and equal opportunities. Abuse
and intentional denial of opportunities to immigrants is a basic form of xenophobia that
leads to other evils: the violation of human rights, the ghettoization of their new homes
as an area, lack of cultural integration and an increase in discrimination, which all lead
to creating a cycle of poverty.
3. The question of the protection of rights of sex workers. By Gustavo Sarmento.
This question is not about whether prostitution should be universally legalized or
illegalized, but rather how the basic human rights sex workers can be defended.
Regardless of profession, everyone is universally entitled to equal rights.
The first facet of this question that can be addressed is how the international
community can combat human trafficking destined for sex work? Young girls in Africa,
South America, and Southeast Asia seem to be geographically the most affected,
however this question is not geographically-specific as this issue is indeed universal.
Seen as poverty and lack of education seem to be driving forces for human trafficking
destined for sex work and exploitation, awareness against prostitution is one of the
many solutions. By empowering women, they become more aware of their rights and of
their dignity which may lead them to look for alternative sources of income rather than
prostitution once they become aware of its multiple threats.
Therefore, it is also important to stop the evil where it is coming from – those
alluring and kidnapping boys and girls, women and men, into the paid sex industry. To
eliminate these criminal organizations in charge of exploitation of others for money,
countries must have a holistic approach as these are generally international underground
organizations that recruit, transport, and exploit internationally rather than locally.
The rights of the sex workers that must be addressed and improved upon are those
of adequate living, as forced sex-workers often fall into brothels which ignore health
issues, and conditions depriving workers of basic needs like medical assistance and the
right of freedom of movement, so often violated when sex workers are kept arbitrarily
captive by their supposed employers. There also needs to be special attention by the
international community to guarantee that the 23rd Article of the Universal Declaration
of Human Rights is upheld, which reads in clause, “Everyone has the right to work, to
free choice of employment, to just and favorable conditions of work and to protection…
Everyone who works has the right to just and favorable remuneration ensuring for
himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if
necessary, by other means of social protection”. With this, the international community
must also tackle local-level corruption so that judicial and police assistance become
more available and accessible to those being exploited.
To those who consciously chose prostitution for themselves as their mean of
income, governments should be made available by the means of programs and
assistance to aid these sex-workers upon request and protect them when their safety,
health, and life are either held in servitude or threatened. But the role of government
becomes a question of national sovereignty. Each sovereign nation has the right to
choose how to view sex workers, but cannot, even if illegalized, violate sex-worker’s
rights of due process and judicial fairness, and if under arrest must provide adequate,
and humane treatment. But also, for what is considered legal prostitution, what should
be the role of the government in welfare? Should the government or international bodies
provide condoms or medical examinations diagnose and prevent proliferation of
sexually-transmitted diseases to sex workers or citizens, or is that the responsibility of
those involved in the acts of paid sexual intercourse? Should these women and men
have access to social security? What about psychological aid, and guidance to overcome
traumas, abuse and rape when reported? In conclusion, regardless of one nation’s view
on sex-work as a profession, there should be progress to guarantee the fulfilment of sex
worker’s human rights and dignity.
4. Measures to combat wealth inequality. By Manuel Abecasis.
This question focuses on developing solutions to combat wealth inequality in
Member States. Wealth inequality is the uneven distribution of wealth (money and
goods) among individuals and groups in a society. This economic phenomenon results
in another economic term called wealth gap. The wider the wealth gap between the
upper class (the rich) and the lower class/masses (the poor), the higher the wealth
inequality is. By tackling the issue various social, economic, and political issues will be
tackled simultaneously.
Wealth inequality gives rise to a number of social and economic problems for the
lower working class. Studies have proven that one of the main determinants for the
increase of crime is income/wealth inequality. Not only does it cause social unrest due
to a decrease in public morale, it also has a negative health effect, as life expectancy in
countries with greater wealth gaps tends to be lower. The economy is also negatively
impacted by wealth inequality. As unemployment rises, the growth of the economy is
harmed for three reasons: waste of resources, redistributive pressures, and distortions
that limit labor mobility.
The factors that causes this issue are also crucial to determine the action one takes
on the issue at hand. One of the main causes to wealth inequality is corruption by
individuals, corporate giants, or any other faction belonging to the elite upper class and
especially government. The UN and various NGOs have promoted transparency
programs to combat the issue of corruption. Another cause to this is globalization,
which means opening investment opportunities for individuals already wealthy, relying
on low-skill labor from developing countries, and increasing rewards for firms
succeeding in a particular niche. The wealth gap also increases as a result of regressive
taxation, formation of a plutocracy, increase in technology, and policy reforms.
It is important to emphasize the relevance and influence of taxation on the issue. As
previously mention regressive taxation is one of the main causes for wealth inequality.
But what is regressive taxation? It is yet another simple economic term used to define a
decrease in tax rate while the amount of subject for taxation increases. In other words,
regressive tax imposes a greater burden on the poor than on the rich. However, taxes
can also have a positive effect on solving the problem. This is in the form of progressive
tax, which is essentially the opposite of regressive tax. Progressive tax focuses on
imposing a higher tax burden on those with higher incomes and alleviates some of the
pressure from the poor. However, progressive tax is a concept that lies on the left of the
political/ideological spectrum.
A key term to the issue is the word “opportunity”. There are two main kinds of
opportunities: education and jobs. The opportunity to an education is fundamental for
the poor, as education opens new doors to the real, competitive world job market, and
helps these individuals overcome obstacles. To ensure education, nations could create a
federal fund whose purpose is to fund the construction, maintenance, and employment
of public educational institutions and facilities. Government-funded scholarships to
technical schools which teach skills necessary for high-demand jobs have been
successful in several countries in providing immediate access to the job market.
Moreover, it is also important to monitor the education system, ensuring that children
and young adults receive the adequate and fair education. The second and final type of
opportunity is in terms of jobs. One of the best ways of combating wealth inequality is
through the means of creating new industries or expand industries, which in turn create
new jobs. New jobs will take people out of unemployment, consequently bolstering the
workforce.
The General Assembly Works Cited:
http://economics.about.com/od/taxes/a/Types-Of-Taxes_3.htm
http://inequality.org/wealth-inequality/
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/apr/28/pope-francis-condemnsinequality-john-paul
http://financesonline.com/income-inequality-views-solutions-from-experts/
http://talkpoverty.org/2015/06/10/solutions-economic-inequality/
http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/librarypage/poverty-reduction/humanitydivided--confronting-inequality-in-developing-countries.html
http://www.ox.ac.uk/research/research-impact/promoting-democracy-africa#
http://www.economist.com/node/21551494
http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/03/23/southeast-asias-democracy-downer-burmathailand-malaysia-myanmar/
http://www.cartercenter.org/peace/democracy/index.html
http://www.cfr.org/elections/election-monitoring-power-limits-risks/p27772
http://www.un.org/en/globalissues/democracy/democracy_and_un.shtml
http://sexworkersproject.org/media-toolkit/downloads/04SexWorkersAndHumanRights.pdf
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2015/08/sex-workers-rights-are-human-rights/
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/should-sex-work-be-legal/
https://www.opendemocracy.net/5050/susana-t-fried-sonia-correa/amnestyinternational-should-sex-work-be-decriminalized
http://www.unesco.org/new/en/social-and-human-sciences/themes/internationalmigration/glossary/xenophobia/
http://www.un.org/WCAR/
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=50614#.VfdcF5f-WtY
http://www.un.org/en/letsfightracism/
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=50660#.VfdcGpf-WtY
http://www.un.org/en/letsfightracism/pdfs/United%20against%20Racism_English_web.
pdf
The Special Conference on Refugees and Migrants:
1. Improving the management of refugee camps to ensure the protection of
fundamental human rights. By Maria Mira.
This question focuses on strategies to improve the management of refugee
camps. This becomes a tricky issue because delegates are not discussing if they
should or shouldn’t improve the management of refugee camps. All delegates
should agree on this topic. With the end of World War II and the creation of the
United Nations the international community vowed to never allow such acts to
happen again. Therefore they created The Universal Declaration of Human Rights,
which protects every citizen of the world. This document was passed with no
objections from any delegation. Therefore all delegates are for ensuring the
protection of human rights the only conflicting views will be based on the strategies
put into place.
It is of extreme importance for this issue to be solved as quickly as possible due
to camp overcrowding. Camps like Kounoungo, and six others in Sudan are already
overcrowded with over 9,000 refugees and they were just built six months ago. The
Washington-based Refugees International recently estimates that there were already
200,000 Sudanese refugees in Chad. The UNHCR is planning the construction of
three more refugee camps but if the influx continues more serious measures will
have to be taken. Refugees in the camps have resorted to begging in the village due
to scarcity of food and water.
As a delegate, especially if you are willing to submit a resolution or amendment
you have to take into consideration different perspectives such as LEDCs. LEDCs or
Less Economically Developed Countries will argue that they do not have the
necessary funds to help others. So when submitting be careful how you phrase your
operative clauses. It is also important to note that The Special Conference does not
discuss financial matters. Keep in mind that under international law the legal
situations of refugees are different from each other.
A very used term will be “Freedom of Movement” this right is many times
deprived from refugees. “The importance of freedom of movement was recognized
at the very inception of the modern international refugee protection movement. In
1921, Fritjof Nansen, the first League of Nations High Commissioner for Refugees,
began the most ambitious refugee program the world had ever seen: ensuring that
over one million Russian refugees had the ability to move. Nansen believed that no
“solution” to displacement would be found without legal recognition of the
necessity to travel” (The New York Times) Freedom of movement is critical for
refugees because without it you deprive refugees from rights such as but not limited
to: education, employment, legal access, identity paper, travel documents, and
nationality.
Lastly, for a successful resolution it is important to distinguish between a camp
which reflects an emergency and a camp where an emergency has happened thus
fulfilling their specific needs. This issue strives to find a strategy to improve human
rights by providing all necessary support and being able to successfully implement
such measures and monitor the developments in a long time period. Some important
NGOs further research are: UNHCR, WHO, UNICEF, Human Rights Watch and
FAO.
2. The question of the regulation of national border controls. By Maria Mira.
A border is a line that separates two different regions, or nations. All countries
have their borders recognized by the United Nations. National borders are meant to
protect national sovereignty and are a method of controlling national security. National
sovereignty is defined as “the authority of the state to govern itself.” Nations are
responsible for protecting their own national borders but with the recent increase of
international terrorist organizations and number of refugees and displaced persons,
international bodies such as the European Union have discussed generalized regulations
for border controls.
According to the European Union “Border control should help to combat illegal
immigration and trafficking in human beings and to prevent any threat to the Member
States' internal security, public policy, public health and international relations.” With
the ever-growing rise of violence in Libya, Iraq, Syria and other areas of the Middle
East and Africa the number of people attempting to illegally cross boarders to escape
violence has increased exponentially. Hundreds of thousands of people have attempted
to cross European boarders illegally especially since 2011. The Mediterranean Crisis
alone has led to the death of over 2,000 people as of August 6th, 2015 according to
CNN. Around 188,000 migrants have been rescued from the Mediterranean so far this
year according to the International Organization for Migration.
Other than the illegal immigration of refugees and asylum seekers illegal
immigration of illegal migrant workers has also risen. It is important for delegates to
recognize two main issues regarding illegal migrant workers. Delegates must focus not
only on how to stop illegal immigrants from entering the nations they are representing,
but also identify the root problem as to why people are leaving their country of origin. It
is crucial delegates create and include in their resolutions, short- term and long term
solutions for the issue. In 2005, the number of migrants worldwide was estimated at 185
to 192 million (IOM 2005), representing approximately 3 percent of the world
population; this figure has more than doubled since 1975. This is a result of conflict and
also globalization.
Immigration hotspots such as Western Europe, the United States, Russia, and
Pakistan are targeted either for their development or their proximity to a region of
conflict. This issue allows for any delegate to speak as it not are specific. Delegates will
find that some delegations are seeking isolation and therefore stronger border control,
while others are looking to loosen border control in order to aid people who are fleeing
a conflict area. Delegates must remember Article 13-2 of the Declaration of Human
Rights which states “Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own,
and to return to his country.” In 2010 the United Nations Population Fund released a
report called “International Migration and Human Rights: Challenges and Opportunities
on the Threshold of the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights” which called for, “Cooperation between governments in countries of origin,
transit and destination, and among non-governmental organizations, civil society and
migrants themselves, is vital for ensuring that international human rights instruments
are implemented and that migrants are aware of their rights and obligations. Groups
with special needs, including migrant children, female labor migrants in the informal
sector, trafficking victims and irregular migrants, as well as refugees.” Border control is
a vast issue where issues such as but not limited to are expected to be mentioned;
human trafficking, refugees and asylum seekers, drug trafficking, prostitution, illegal
immigration, migrant workers, and so on.
3. Developing responses to minimize IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons) in
areas affected by natural disasters. By Margarida Rosa.
IDPs or Internally Displaced Persons are people who have been forced to leave
their homes for many of the same reasons as refugees, but they have not crossed an
international border. They are often persecuted or under attack of their government.
These people are frequently in a more desperate situation than refugees. According to
UNHCR IDPs outnumber refugees two to one. Recently there has been an exponential
increase of IDPs. Furthermore there is no formal international agency to aid them.
Currently there are an estimated 1.4 million people displaced by conflict in
Uganda, at least 1.5 million in the Democratic Republic of Congo and 6 million in
Sudan. Internally Displaces Persons can be caused by conflict and sometimes mountains
and rivers impede the cross of borders therefore not classifying them as refugees. The
most common IDPs are due to natural disasters such as the Asian tsunami in 2004. Like
refugees IDPs cannot obtain security and aid from their government therefore they turn
to international responses and aid. According to the Global IDP Survey there are over
13 million IDPS in Africa, 6 million in Asia including Middle East, 3 million in Europe
and 4 million in the Americas. (UNHCR)
This question focuses on a strategy to minimize IDPs in natural disaster areas,
this strategy should include prevention of IDPs, international involvement after natural
disaster, building of infrastructure, and a gradual plan to integrate these citizens back to
society in a self-sufficient matter. This issue relies on international collaboration seeing
as host countries of IDPs do not have the necessary means to do such after the natural
disaster. It is important to take into consideration LEDCs or Less Economically
Developed Countries who will argue that they do not have the funds to aid. Therefore
be careful when phrasing operative clauses. The Special Conference does not debate
financial matters.
A key term which will be discussed is “sovereignty”. Sovereignty is defined as
the authority of the state to govern itself. This becomes an issue because IDPs reside
within the borders of their country where the jurisdiction of their government apply.
Take for example Bosnia and Herzegovina after the Balkan wars and Bosnia
Herzegovina’s independence the number of IDPs soared to 2.6 million. The UNHCR
delivered approximately 950,000 metric tons of humanitarian assistance, it was one of
the largest relief initiatives taken. UNHCR wanted to maintain a “presence” to
effectively monitor human rights abuses but they were heavily criticized. UNHCR was
accused of ethnic cleansing, and the aid was seen as an excuse for political movements.
As a delegate wishing to submit a resolution or amendment it is important to
take into consideration sovereignty therefore including an operative clause about the
guidance and expectation of the government of IDPs. A successful resolution should
tackle strategies such as but not limited to: access to humanitarian aid, discrimination,
improvement of human right, settlements and camps, camp security and military
presence, protection of women and children, family reunification, access to education,
loss of documentation, data on IDPs and property issues.
4. The question of military intervention to tackle transnational organized human
trafficking. By Margarida Rosa.
In order to address the question of military intervention the Security Council will
be immediately informed and must be mentioned in all resolutions as the Security
Council is the only United Nations that can call for military intervention. Military
Intervention is defined as “a state's use of "military force against another state when
the chief publicly declared aim of that military action is ending human-rights
violations being perpetrated by the state against which it is directed.” Military
intervention is controversial as some delegates may call this a violation of national
sovereignty which has been defined above as “the authority of the state to govern
itself.”
The second part of the issue is the tackling of transnational organized human
trafficking is vaguely defined by the UNODC as “organized crime (which create)
criminal networks forge bonds across borders as well as overcome cultural and
linguistic differences in the commission of their crime.” The UNODC does not
define the meaning of transnational organized crime or the types of crime it consists.
Transnational organized crime not only includes human trafficking, but also drug
trafficking, and the trafficking of weapons. Human Trafficking is a violation of
Human Rights. It is defined by the UNODC in the “Article 3, paragraph (a) of the
Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons as the recruitment,
transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or
use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the
abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of
payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another
person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the
exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced
labor or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of
organs”
Organized crime has reached a global and macro- economic proportion. The
UNODC has found that transnational organized crime often permeates government
agencies and institutions that fuel and favor corruption in politics, leading to an
impasse in economic and social development. In 2000 the United Nations
Convention against Transnational Organized Crime was adopted by the fifty- with
session of the General Assembly. It entered into force in 2003. The convention has
three protocols; Trafficking in Persons, Smuggling of Migrants and Trafficking of
Firearms. Delegates are urged to read the first two protocols of the Convention as
they apply to the issue debates.
Once again the issues is not area specific allowing all delegates to actively
participate in the debate. Delegates will find that the decision to counter
transnational organized human trafficking will be widespread, however it is the
measures used to do so which will lead to a controversial debate.
The Special Conference Works Cited:
https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/organized-crime/index.html
http://www.unfpa.org/publications/international-migration-and-human-rightschallenges-and-opportunities-threshold-60th
http://www.unodc.org/unodc/treaties/CTOC/
http://lastradainternational.org/lsidocs/626%20intl_migration_brder_cntrl_070402.p
df
http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/IDPersons/Tsunami.pdf
http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Publications/training7part10en.pdf
http://www.unhcr.org/4444afce0.pdf
The Security Council:
1. The question of Libya. By Lucas Nacif.
This question aims to address the political issues that Libya currently faces after an
election dispute in June 2014, which brought the country in an ongoing civil war.
The internationally recognized government (based in Tobruk) lacks control of
various regions in Libya due to the emergence of a rival government based in
Tripoli and the occupation of cities such as Derna by forces such as the Islamic State
(IS). This political crisis not only undermines Libya’s national unity but too poses
regional and international threats.
Lawlessness in Libya not only has enabled the Islamic State to expand, but has
also enabled human traffickers to use Libya as a major route to smuggle refugees to
the European side of the Mediterranean. Hence this question focuses not only on
assisting the internationally recognized government to restore control, but too to
tackle issues such as human trafficking, as it violates UN sponsored multilateral
treaties such as the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized
Crime (UNTOC). The prevalence of human traffickers in Libya is not only a threat
to regional stability in the Mediterranean, but too a violation of major principles of
the United Nation’s Declaration of Human Rights, which defends everyone’s right
to security, humane treatment, slavery, among others. With regards to human
trafficking, delegates should prioritize on ways that can prevent refugees from being
victim to the dangerous cycle of human trafficking. These individuals fall victim to
human trafficking since many see it as the only way to reach Europe and escape
conflict zones.
The human trafficking aspect of this issue has ties with ‘the question of military
intervention to tackle transnational organized human trafficking’, which will be
debated by the Special Conference. War crimes is another major issue that is
prevalent in Libya, such as with the kidnapping and beheadings of Coptic Christian
migrants in Sirte on February 12, 2015 by the Islamic State. Delegates should
propose solutions to deal with the current humanitarian crises facing in Libya –
dealing with issues such as the civilian access of food and medical aid in areas
outside of government control. Most importantly, the Security Council should
propose actions that will guarantee actions such as the long-term political stability in
Libya, protection of human rights for civilians in conflict zones and migrants
attempting to head to Europe, and potentially organizing UN-brokered peace talks
between the internationally recognized government in Tobruk and its rival
government based in Libya’s capital, Tripoli. Delegates of the Security Council
should also debate whether means such as sanctions could contribute to solutions to
the problems which Libya face.
2. The question of South Sudan. By Lucas Nacif.
This question aims to address the political and humanitarian crises that South
Sudan has been facing with their ongoing civil, which began in December 2013 due
to disputes between President Salva Kiir Mayardit and then Vice-President Riek
Machar. South Sudan’s civil war is undermining the political stability of a nation
that gained independence only four years ago, and it too has been causing the
emergence of a humanitarian crisis. To understand the roots of this humanitarian
crisis, delegates must understand that Mayardit’s government forces and Machar’s
rebel forces are shaped by sectarian lines. While Mayardit’s forces are
predominantly from the Dinka ethnicity, Machar’s forces are of Nuer origins. One
major area to focus is ways that the UN Security Council can prevent the threat of
genocide between these ethnicities. Regardless, mass atrocities have already been
committed from both sides of the conflict, with the most noticeable incident being
the 2014 Bentiu massacre, in which Machar’s rebel forces murdered over 400 nonNuer civilians and too engaged in raped towards non-Nuer women. So far, this
conflict has caused the deaths of over 10,000 since December 2013 and is currently
causing countless civilians with the risk of death from starvation, as the civil war
has disrupted South Sudan’s food supply.
The Security Council should discuss solutions that could not only prevent the
risk of genocide and a humanitarian crisis, but also ways to promote long-term
political stability in South Sudan. Should the UN Security Council broker peace
talks between Mayardit and Machar’s forces? Should actions such as arms embargo
be issued on both sides? Delegates should also consider what actions should the
United Nations Mission in the South Sudan (UNMISS) do to improve their mission
to protect civilians and promote long-term state building, economic development,
and rule of law amongst others. Crucial to proposing solutions towards the crisis
facing South Sudan is the UN Security Council’s commitment towards defending
the principles of the United Nation’s Declaration of Human Rights. It is noticeable
that South Sudan is neither a signatory nor a state party of the Rome Statute, hence
the member state is not obliged to cooperate with the International Criminal Court
(ICC), should the court ask for cooperation to arrest or transfer indicted persons of
the ICC or provide access to witness and evidence. Despite such constraints,
delegates must find solutions to ensure the prevention of war crimes.
Other areas to focus include the coordination with UN agencies to provide food
and medical aid to civilian populations who are currently in the risk of starvation.
Delegates should also debate whether the Security Council should request UN
agencies such as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to negotiate
with neighboring third states to establish refugee camps to accommodate displaced
civilians from South Sudan.
3. Threats to international security. By Lucas Nacif.
International security has been key issue for the Security Council in the past
decades, with the Security Council required to intervene in situations such as of
Kuwait (1991) and Afghanistan (2001). The rise of militant groups such as the
Islamic State and Boko Haram in the past years has made the issue of international
security something that the Security Council has been working constantly towards.
Delegates should not only focus on developing international mechanisms to
combat such militant groups and preserve the rule of law in the countries affected,
but delegates are also welcomed to focus on other areas such as what actions should
the Security Council undertake to improve the prevention of funding and arming to
militant groups that undermine international security. Because delegates will already
debate on ways to promote national and regional security in the question of Libya,
delegates should focus on other countries affected by militancy such as Iraq, Syria,
Nigeria and Afghanistan. At combating militant groups and preserving the rule of
law, delegates should always remember to supplement these solutions by ones
which aim to defend human rights to the civilians of these affected regions and
perhaps also to discuss ways to bring accountability over war crimes in areas such
as Iraq and Syria – with the most noticeable example being the persecution of the
Yazidis by the Islamic State. Bringing accountability over these atrocities is a
difficult issue, as Iraq and Syria are not a party of the Rome Statute – a major
multilateral treaty that led to the establishment of the International Criminal Court
(ICC).
Regardless, delegates should maintain commitment to defend the principles
enshrined upon the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights. Another major
issue to address in this issue is the development of multilateral mechanisms to
successfully combat the issue of foreign combatants joining militant groups such as
the Islamic State. Should member states devise re-integration programs for foreign
fighters? Or maybe create an international criminal tribunal aimed at prosecuting
returning foreign fighters for their involvement with militant organizations that have
committed war crimes? Delegates must also remember that at devising these
international mechanisms, issues such as of national sovereignty must be respected.
This issue possesses many ties with the issue of ‘The question of regulation of
border controls’, which will be debated in the Special Conference. At addressing the
threats of international security, delegates could consider ways in which the
regulation of border controls could contribute to the pursuit of promoting
international stability. For instance, how can this minimize the amount of foreigners
traveling to Syria to fight for the Islamic State?
The Security Council Works Cited:
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/od.html
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-14069082
http://endgenocide.org/conflict-areas/south-sudan/
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-34106670
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-13754897
http://www.economist.com/news/briefing/21638123-four-year-descent-arab-springfactional-chaos-it-should-come
http://humantraffickingcenter.org/posts-by-htc-associates/forced-migration-humantrafficking/
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29052144
http://www.rferl.org/contentinfographics/foreign-fighters-syria-iraq-is-isis-isilinfographic/26584940.html
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-13809501
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-32435614
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/13/world/middleeast/isis-recruits-prompt-lawsagainst-foreign-fighters.html?_r=0